Two leopard cubs found in Satara sugarcane field; mother caught and released in habitat

Two leopard cubs were found in a sugarcane field at Shahapur village in Koregaon taluka of Satara district while the crop was being harvested by machine, causing alarm in the area. The Forest Department ran a special operation to reunite the cubs with their mother and, after two days of continuous effort, managed to catch the female leopard.

Farmers and villagers in and around Shahapur had earlier spotted a leopard at night. For several days there had been talk of a leopard moving about in the area, so news of the cubs in the field spread fear among villagers.

Labourers harvesting the cane informed local people as soon as they saw the cubs. Villagers promptly contacted the Forest Department. Forest officer Chandrahar Jagdale reached the spot and took both cubs safely into the department's care.

According to forest officials, the cubs are only seven to eight days old. Separating them from their mother permanently was not right, so the department made a considered plan. A special operation was begun to hand the cubs back to the female in a natural way. Cameras were installed at the spot where the cubs were found to track the female leopard's movements.

Forest staff tried for two days running to catch the female safely. The effort eventually succeeded and the female leopard was caught. The department said she was then released into her natural habitat.

The operation was led by Dhaiyasheel Patil, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Satara, and Digambar Jadhav, Assistant Conservator of Forests. Under the guidance of Chandrahar Jagdale, officer of the Koregaon forest range, Wathar station forester Surekha Jagdale and forest guards Subhash Badade, Ajay Kamble, Sunil Shelar, Sagar Bodare and Pranav Makar played key roles.